Journal
SCIENCE
Volume 338, Issue 6106, Pages 510-514Publisher
AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1126/science.1225376
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Funding
- Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- University of Calgary
- NSF Division of Earth Sciences [EAR 0959029]
- Division Of Earth Sciences
- Directorate For Geosciences [0959029] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [24540494] Funding Source: KAKEN
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Previously described feathered dinosaurs reveal a fascinating record of feather evolution, although substantial phylogenetic gaps remain. Here we report the occurrence of feathers in ornithomimosaurs, a clade of non-maniraptoran theropods for which fossilized feathers were previously unknown. The Ornithomimus specimens, recovered from Upper Cretaceous deposits of Alberta, Canada, provide new insights into dinosaur plumage and the origin of the avian wing. Individuals from different growth stages reveal the presence of a filamentous feather covering throughout life and winglike structures on the forelimbs of adults. The appearance of winglike structures in older animals indicates that they may have evolved in association with reproductive behaviors. These specimens show that primordial wings originated earlier than previously thought, among non-maniraptoran theropods.
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